The gap between income and expenses for Barrow County’s FY11 budget is a $3 million shortfall. And as he did last year, commissioner Steve Worley has taken personally the challenge to balance Barrow County’s budget.

But his recommended solution might require another reduction in force to eliminate seven full-time positions and one part-time position — as well as a 1-mill increase in the property tax rate, Worley told the Barrow Journal this week. He declined to identify which positions he thinks could be eliminated since that would be up to the Barrow County Board of Commissioners.

“I feel like that needs to be discussed in executive session with the whole board,” he said.

Worley said his recommended cuts are based on the assumption that the board would not be inclined to raise the millage rate beyond the “revenue neutral” point of merely recouping the revenue that may be lost due to the second successive drop in the tax digest.

The digest declined last year by almost four percent and chief appraiser Cecil Highfield has estimated there will be an even steeper decline when the final numbers are released this month.

Highfield recommended that county officials build the FY2011 budget on the assumption that property tax revenues would drop by $1.5 million.

THE $6 MILLION CHALLENGE
A budget committee chaired by Commission Chairman Danny Yearwood met for months to find ways to balance the new budget in the face of the declining economy.

The initial gap between projected revenues and requested departmental expenditures for FY2011 was more than $6 million.

Steps taken to close about half of that gap included refinancing some bond debt, increasing employee contributions to health care costs, reducing the county’s contribution to the retirement plan, and cutting out most of new spending requests from managers and elected officials.

But that still left a shortfall of nearly $3 million as of last week.

CFO Rose Kisaalita told the Barrow Journal that she has reviewed Worley’s newly recommended cuts, and they look workable on paper.

“He has a valid budget,” she said. “I think we can work with his budget.”

For more on this story, see the August 4 edition of the Barrow Journal or click hereto read the full story online when you subscribe to our new e-edition.

Why dont you dummy commishioners simply have peoples property confiscated who havent paid their taxes, then sell it to the highest bidder. Sure it will bring in less than market value but it will definetly bring in more than what ever was due on their taxes.Then , somebody who can pay will own said property and pay next year.Its a win win situatiion for Barrow County.......oh yeah thats right yall dont really want a balanced budget,just higher taxes on the common man,and that means the chairman would loose his property too.DO THE RIGHT THING COMMISHES.

it does include the 10% cut in BCSO budget and closing one fire station and laying off eight firefighters, have seen the emails with danny, worley, and roselita names as the senders of said emails to each other, they are all over the county at this point....

I totally agree with not cutting Sheriff, EMS, or Fire. A good place to cut is to start with Keep Barrow Beautiful. Thats a waste of money. The second thing that needs to be cut is 100% of the funding for anything recreational, such as Leisure Services. Lock the doors, cut power and water to the buildings, and put chains across the entrance to the facilities. In dire times, we need our money to "work" and not play. Recreational funds need to be completely cut.

We also need to look closer at privitizing the airport. The county needs to get out of the airplane business. Sell it to whoever wants it and quit funding it.

You know what idiot? we see a lot of stupid people on here posting there moronic opinions,but yours is one of the dumbest.Only a county commishioner would think of cutting law enforcement at a time of ever increasing crime,you cant even walk out you door anymore in barrow without getting shot at,we need more deputies ,more ambulances and mor firefighters, we need less overstuffed burocrats and county employee welfare workers,mostly though we just need less of people like you who go onto a public forum and speak the tiny imbeccilities that are in your mind.

In recessionary time people are hurting. Unemployment is up, jobs are down, people can't find work. Stress levels go up as financial woes set in. They get desperate, they get depressed, they do some REALLY stupid things. Domestic violence goes up, crime goes up; This is NOT the time to cut the sheriff's budget BY A PENNY!!!!

Actually in most places crime is down due to the number of people at home during the day.

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